British-based Pakistani tycoon and his teenage son are among five on board the missing Titanic tourist submarine.
A frantic search operation was extended today for the submersible vessel lost in the Atlantic Ocean. Its support vessel, the Canadian research icebreaker Polar Prince, lost contact with it approximately one hour and 45 minutes after it submerged on Sunday morning.
On Tuesday, a close friend of Hamish Harding - a British billionaire explorer on board the vessel - warned that the group will already have used over half of their air supply, leaving them with around 50 hours of oxygen left as of Tuesday afternoon.
The wreckage of the Titanic – which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after it hit an iceberg – is located at a depth of 12,500 feet. First discovered in 1985, the ship’s remains sit in two separate parts southeast of Newfoundland, the most easterly province of Canada.
Business advisor Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his 19-year-old son Suleman have been named as two of the people on board the submersible.
The father and son are reportedly together with French submersible pilot Paul-Henry Nargeolet and chief executive and founder of OceanGate Expeditions Stockton Rushton and British billionaire Mr Harding.
A statement from the Dawood family said: “As of now, contact has been lost with their submersible craft and there is limited information available.
“We are very grateful for the concern being shown by our colleagues and friends and would like to request everyone to pray for their safety while granting the family privacy at this time. The family is well looked after and are praying to Allah for the safe return of their family members.”
In a new statement seen by the BBC, the family described Mr Dawood as “a loving father” and said Suleman is currently a university student.
“Shahzada is a loving father to Suleman and Alina, husband to Christine, brother to three siblings, and son to Hussain & Kulsum Dawood. His 19-year-old son, Suleman Dawood, is currently a university student,” the statement said.
“Shahzada has been actively advocating a culture of learning, sustainability, and diversity in his capacity as Vice Chairman of Pakistan’s Engro Corporation. Passionate about social impact, he works extensively with the Engro Foundation, The Dawood Foundation, the SETI Institute, and Prince’s Trust International.
“Out of the office, he has spoken passionately at the United Nations in 2020 on International Day for Women & Girls in Science and Oxford Union in 2022. His interests include photography, especially wildlife photography, and exploring different natural habitats while Suleman is a big fan of science fiction literature and learning new things.
“Suleman also takes a keen interest in solving Rubik’s Cubes and enjoys playing volleyball.”
A statement from The Dawood Foundation - of which Mr Dawood is a trustee - asked that the public avoid “speculation and theorisation.”
“All we know so far is that contact was lost with their submersible craft,” the statement read. “There is limited information available beyond this that we know, and we humbly request that speculation and theorisation is avoided.”
“We, at The Dawood Foundation, remain in prayer for their swift and safe return, and will share any updates we may have as and when they come.”
The pair are understood to live in the UK. Mr Dawood, who is a business advisor serving on the board for Prince’s Trust International, lives in a Surrey mansion with his wife Christine, son Suleman and daughter Alina, according to MailOnline.
The Dawood family is among the richest in Pakistan but has strong links to the UK.
Mr Dawood studied Law at the University of Buckingham in 1998, later completing a master’s degree in Textile Marketing at the University of Philadelphia in 2000.
Mr Dawood’s father, 79-year-old Hussain Dawood, is the chairman of the Pakistan-based Dawood Hercules Corporation as well as the Engro Corporation, responsible for manufacturing chemicals and fertilisers, food and energy respectively.
The missing Mr Dawood is currently the vice-chairman of both his fathers’ companies as well as a member of the founders’ circle of British Asian Trust, an international development organisation working across South Asia.
